[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 174 (Thursday, November 10, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING STEVE MANOR, BELOVED EDUCATOR AND PUBLIC SERVANT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 10, 2022

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a local 
legend, Mr. Steve Manor of Howell, Michigan. For more than 50 years, 
Steve has served the community as an educator, a city councilmember. an 
advocate, and a visionary. Universally beloved, Manor is the rare 
figure who bridges all divides: political, social, and generational. As 
he comes to the end of his earthly journey, his faithful dedication to 
Howell has ensured that his imprint will forever rest on the city. It 
is, likewise, my privilege to ensure that the life of this history 
teacher is permanently enshrined in the history of this Nation.
  More than five decades of history have passed since a young Steve 
Manor first walked through the doors of Howell's Michigan Avenue School 
in 1966. He later taught at Highlander Way Middle School and then 
Howell High School, retiring in 1998 after 32 years in the classroom.
  From public education he turned to public service, to winning a seat 
on Howell City Council in 1999. Over the next 23 years he served in a 
variety of roles, including mayor pro tem, chair of the Howell 
Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and as Howell's delegate to the 
Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. Through it all, he conducted 
himself exactly how a non-partisan elected official should: always 
looking beyond politics to the city's best interests.
  Manor advocated for much-needed investments in infrastructure, worked 
with developers to make the city more business-friendly, helped 
revitalize an old alleyway into a picturesque shopping district, and 
worked with a local company to turn an unused patch of land into a 
whimsical children's playscape. And somehow he found time to volunteer 
with dozens of local organizations and causes, including Howell Rotary, 
Howell Main Street, and the Countryside Veterinary Dog Park.
  But as much as he loved the city, Steve was the first to recognize 
its flaws, and also the first to roll up his sleeves to make 
improvements. Manor helped start the Howell High School Diversity Club 
in 1987 in response to a cross burning in the city, and served on the 
Livingston County Diversity Council for many years; he was deeply 
committed to helping the city work to rid itself from intolerance and 
bigotry.
  Steve has bravely battled cancer for the past five years, and a 
servant to the very end, still attended City Council meetings even 
after requiring home hospice care. He recently stepped down from his 
beloved council seat, leaving a void no election or appointment can 
ever fill.
  Manor once said that Howell is a special place, because unlike some 
surrounding communities, it has ``a core.'' That core--a vibrant 
downtown, healthy neighborhoods, a thriving community--didn't just 
happen, it happened because Steve Manor worked to make it so. I submit 
that Steve Manor IS the core of Howell: a rock solid core of selfless 
service, cultivating seeds of integrity, and bearing fruit for 
generations to come.
  I therefore enter his life of principled leadership into the official 
record of the United States House of Representatives. It's an example 
we would all do well to study and commit to memory: the enduring final 
lesson plan of Steve Manor, beloved teacher.

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